Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-10-27
A FAMOUS MINING TOWN,
lEADVlLLE AND THE RELATIONS
OF ITS MORALS AND ITS VICES.
A Place Where Justice Is Sure and
Swift-Gambling as a Busness-Noisy
Keno-Roulette Under Suspicion-Poker
and Faro-Talmage's Visit.

PellIenllary IOr ten years cannot be SAID to
be without considerable moral tone Lead
vile did just that with a man who had be-
trayed trust, and so far has refused to join
In a sentimental movement for pardon. An
assayer of good position, who had loaned his
science to a conspiracy for stealing rich ore,
followed the banker down the Grand canyon
and into retirement behind the bars Mine
officials and others have gone the same way
for plundering employers. The Leadville
code is not an extensive one but justice fol-
lows swift and sure upon infractions of it.
Having decided to tolerate gambling, Lead
vile does so in the most openihanded manner
Some of the best locations ON the avenue are
given up to the votarieS of tickle fortune.
There is none of the hypocrisy of half drawn
blinds The doors are thrown wide open, and
from the street can be seen at any time the
green tables surrounded by the players, while
the click of the chips and the bawling of the
man at the keno goose fall upon the ears of
the passer by. Gambling in Leadville is
business.
"Our running expenses" said Con Feath-
erly, one of the proprietors of the Texas, "are
$1,000 month. When the house opened in
1879 it ran behind steadily for six months,
and came pretty near going under Then it
took turn for the better and ran ahead If
we take in $4,000 or $4,000 month we are
pretty well satisfied. That pays running ex-
penses and leaves margin for profit"
A GORGEOUS BAR.
Down stairs there is the bar ona le side,
gorgeous with its mammoth mirror ID its
array of cut glass. A lunch coAiter just
across the way is also doing business. On
blackboards are displayed the scores of the
davis hacaho1l oampc the raSu1tC of tho racoc
and the grain and stock quotations from the
east. To the right is room with half
dozen games of faro in progress and open to
all corners. Back of the faro room is the
business office of the establishment. Then
comes a long, high chamber, where hun
dred men try hour after hour to put five but.
tons in a row on a numbered card, while a
loud voiced young man whirls the goose and
calls out the number of each little ball as it
falls into his hand. There are electric de-
vices to show at glance the exact number
of cards taken out and the consequent pot to
60 to the holder of the winning card. This
is keno. 1t is the popular game, and the
noisy one as well, so the players are shut into
big room by themselves. But faro and
keno are only two of the games which the
Texas provides for its patrons. Adjoining
the keno room the roulette has its corner, and
pleasant faced man whirls the wheel and
the marble in opposite directions, reciting, in
low, well modulated voice:
n "Black or red, odd or even, high or low.
Thirty five for single number. Round and
round the little ball goes. Roll it for your
self if you like"
Roulette, the great game of the European
resorts. is not popular in Leadville. Now and
then young clerk or laboring man will
stop and risk dollar on the black or red, but
the play is seldom heavy. The fact is, the
wheel is rather under suspicion in the western
country. Smart gamblers have been able to
fix it up by magnetism and electrical currents
so that the little marble found its way too
often to the single or the 90, both Of which
sweep the board for the house. Mexicans like
roulette, but Americans give it wide berth.
| The dice table, where the dealer sits behind
| monstrous box and rattles down the cubes, is
better patronized. ''Studhorse poker" has
some admirers, but straight poker is always
sure Of a tableful. In the rooms ON the first
floor everybody comes and goes at will Men
reach over each others shoulders to lay down
their bets. Down stairs is for the crowd Up
stairs is for the heavy betters.
"The largest winning at a single setting
that remember" said Mr.. Featherly, after
taking few moments to consider the ques-
ton, twas $4,000 1 recollect a big game
we had one Saturday night in the front
room. We had been playing all the evening
and about IL o'clock there was some talk
about stopping. The house was out S., 500 on
the game. One or two of the players started
to 60, but came back and said that it was
showing so that man couldn't see ten feet
ahead of him. So the game was kept up all
night until s o'clock Sunday morning, and
when we stopped the house was SIC, 600 ahead,
besides recovering the $500 behind at II
o'clock the night before.
THE CHARM WAS BROKEN.
"These big games are sometimes affected
by things which people who do not gamble
would consider trivial" continued Mr.. Feath-
erly. 1--WE had a game going one night in
the back room and the principal players were
two eastern men who had come here to buy
mine. They had drafts in their pockets for
100000. One was a man worth 81, ,000, 900 or
$5,0O0,0OO. The betting was heavy About
IL o'clock some of the rooms were closed
The players were into the game about 81 500.
For some reason we moved from the back
room into the front room and went on. The
players made a few bets, fdgeted about and
then quit. The moving from one room to
announcer Dau DTOkeI tne Cnornl. Ii we ndu
kept on in the back room the game would
have run all night, probably, and $4,000
might have changed hands. talked to the
players about it afterward and they said that
it was the change of rooms that made them
stop. This may sound odd to those who
don't know anything about the little influences
which affect playing, but all gamblers viii
understand it."
Talmage visited Leadville once, and it fell
to the lot of the good Maj. Bohn to show him
the town. II want to see it all. said the
preacher, and the major gave up two nights
to the Job Some time after midnight of the
second round the pair drew up in front Of
the hotel.
1Have 1 seen everything?" asked the d.
vine.
Everything" replied the major, conscien-
tiously.
aI have been much instructed" said the
preacher.
He had Stunned" extensively in New
York. but he admitted that Leadville could
give him points. Standing on Harrison
avenue and looking westward "'""" state